By : The decision to learn a new language is a very important step in your life, personally and professionally, and that is why it is critical to find the right phtterson to teach you. Language development is a serious business and you do not want to hire someone who is not up to task to assist you in this journey; there are certain attributes that a good language teacher must possess before you hire him or her.
Preply team has compiled the following 5 tips for hiring a language tutor that should help you settle on the right person and you can find more information at https://preply.com/en/skype/spanish-tutors:
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What are your language learning goals?
Before you begin the search for your language tutor, you must know why and how much of a language you want to learn; what is your goal? Are you learning the language for work, for travel, or do you want to emigrate or resettle somewhere else?
If you are improving your language skills then you want to narrow down to aspects like speech, writing, reading, listening etc. So, be clear of the specific skills you want to get from the language tutor.
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Do you want an offline or online teacher?
Do you want to learn your language online or do you want to be taught in person by your tutor? Whatever your decision, the general criteria are the same except for a few things like the suitability of a location for in person, who needs to be an appropriate and quiet space for learning and teaching. You may also want to consider the attendant expenses that come with face to face tutorial; look for locations like a public library where there is minimal usage fee or are completely free.
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Qualifications of the language teacher
Once you have settled on the goals of your language lessons, the next important thing you want to look at is the qualifications of your potential teacher or teachers. There are so many ways of deciding what kind of teachers you want; Are they native speakers? Are they certified? How long is their experience? What are their skills?
Many students and many sites will usually recommend native language speakers, who are a good qualification but experience second language speakers of a language as well as those educated in a language can be very good as native speakers, if not better. Ask for a resume or just as specific questions that you want answered, but you can also learn of a teacher’s qualifications from previous students’ reviews and feedback.
Agree and be clear on tutorial targets and expectations
This is a very important tip for a good relationship between instructor and student, as well as the success of or failure of goals set. It is very important that you come out clearly about your expectations of your teacher from the outset and make sure that you both agree on the target and milestones along the way. It is also imperative that you agree on the schedule and lesson times, especially if it is online because of things like difference in time zones etc., agree on fees and payment cycles and set up SMART goals to work by.
Communicate
This goes both ways; the student has to be communicative and frank with the teacher so that the teacher knows how to plan and proceed with lessons effectively. Let the instructor know if you understand what is being taught, if the speed he or she is moving at is okay and any other things you may want to pass across. If possible, have regular progress reviews with your tutor so that you are both on the same page.
These five tips should help you get the right and qualified language tutor to help you realize the dream of learning the new language well and successfully.
